


An Apprentice's Guide to Source and Dream

by sareliz



Series: Loki of Midgard [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Commentary, Gen, Metaphysics, Poetry, Theology, enlightenment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 07:17:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5576239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sareliz/pseuds/sareliz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a companion piece to Loki of Midgard. It is dense theology without plot, romance, or character. No, really.</p><p>This is the book that Darcy nearly throws across the room in chapter 9 of 'The Crown Prince'. Now you get to see why. :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Poetry of the Nine Gates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [linusmir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/linusmir/gifts).



> This is a companion piece to Loki of Midgard, or more particularly, book two: The Crown Prince. If this were a traditional publication, this might be in an appendix. If it were a traditional but quirky publication, it might be interspersed on random pages throughout the book. This is, however, an html archive, so it's a different work in the same series.
> 
> In chapter nine of The Crown Prince, Darcy begins reading a book. This is the book she's reading.
> 
> There will be the gate poetry itself, commentary on it, and also more informal meditations on it, if all goes according to plan.

**The Poetry of the Nine Gates**

 

These are the nine gates,

Which are the nine guardians

Of the selfish and evil nature

Of the unwary.

The good sorceress breaks these nine.

 

The mistress of the first gate is grounded.

The mistress of the second gate is calm.

The mistress of the third gate is wise.

The mistress of the fourth gate is self-possessed.

The mistress of the fifth gate is resolved.

The mistress of the sixth gate is unhindered.

The mistress of the seventh gate is discerning.

The mistress of the eighth gate is fearless.

The mistress of the ninth gate is enlightened.

 

The first gate breaks with tears.

Sorceress, give up your striving.

See yourself as they who love you,

Lose not your way,

Forgive yourself;

Master your past.

 

The second gate breaks with anger.

Sorceress, give up your pain.

See through the eyes of the child,

Lose not your way,

Forgive the mother;

Master suffering.

 

The third gate breaks with grief.

Sorceress, give up war-blood.

See through the eyes of the mother,

Lose not your way,

Forgive the child;

Master the offensive spirit.

 

The fourth gate breaks with shrieking.

Sorceress, refresh your heart.

See through the eyes of the lover,

Lose not your way,

Forgive the impassioned;

Master your will.

 

The fifth gate breaks with longing.

Sorceress, learn your fate.

See through the eyes of the prescient,

Lose not your way,

Forgive the fate of others;

Master the future.

 

The sixth gate breaks with pain.

Sorceress, learn your frame.

See through the eyes of the discarnate,

Lose not your way,

Forgive your body;

Master the present.

 

The seventh gate breaks with pleasure.

Sorceress, learn your desire.

See through the eyes of the craven,

Lose not your way,

Forgive the powerless;

Master hope.

 

The eighth gate breaks with confusion.

Sorceress, face your regression.

See through the eyes of your former selves,

Lose not your way,

Forgive the infinite;

Master death.

 

The ninth gate breaks with laughter.

Sorceress, see through everything,

See nothing at all,

Lose not your way,

Forgive those who cannot see;

Master the dream.


	2. Poetry of the Nine Gates, with Commentary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the Poetry of the Nine Gates, with commentary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roll up your sleeves and bring your A-game. No, really. Seatbelts on and tray tables up. If you're annoyed by Zen Koans or your own lack of spiritual progress, here is your mantra: 'This is only fiction and the author might be full of shit.' Repeat with each inhale and exhale, as necessary.

THE PROLOGUE STANZA

 

> _These are the nine gates,_
> 
> _Which are the nine guardians_
> 
> _Of the selfish and evil nature_
> 
> _Of the unwary._
> 
> _The good sorceress breaks these nine._

**[The gates are, of course, not gates at all, but tangible visual metaphors that enable the moral student to focus on certain aspects of progress not only in the mental training that is part and parcel of becoming a sorceress, but the emotional-metaphysical work that is required for anyone at all to be able to face the normal situations of life and battle with a clear conscience, knowing that the reactions she is having are reasoned, rational, logical, and merited by a true understanding of the situation alone, rather than the alternative: to instinctively react out of unconscious and unattended pain and fear, thus making life and the enjoyment of it difficult or impossible for all around her who have not a higher degree of moral aptitude than herself.**

**Truly, the attainment of mastery over any or all of the nine gates are as much for the collective realm as for a sorceress herself. Individual effort here is born forth in the collective raising of consciousness as well as the benefit of one fewer source of darkness in Yggdrasil and one more source of light. For when so many sorceresses are beacons of light, will not light spread beyond those for whom it is required? Will not others be drawn to the light and wish to experience it for themselves, though it require some effort?**

**Truly, the path of pure joy is to be found herein. That it cuts through our darkest pain proves only that we must face down the cornerstone of darkness in ourselves first, if we are ever to be nothing but light.**

**Forget not, sorceress, that the goal we seek is the final one: mastery of the ninth gate, and pure light. Celebrate your successes, but do not rest over long on your laurels. Continue your work and enlighten your realm.**

**The middle three lines of the prologue stanza continue the visceral visual metaphor for understanding moral progress. While in our realms, brokenness lends itself to the desire to mend, in this case we must resist that urge and allow the broken to remain broken. Always recall that the gates are what protect the selfish and evil nature of the unwary and allow it to remain selfish and evil. It is the inner guardian of our own propensity towards evil that we break and allow to remain broken.**

**Unwary, in this usage, means quite specifically unknown, unconscious, unexamined. Those sorceresses with much of herself unknown to herself have many, many dark corners of their minds in which pain and suffering may fester and evil take root without their knowledge or consent. Unwary and innocent are often used interchangeably, but this should not be done. Unwary implies someone who has not taken the opportunities afforded her for knowledge and wariness, while innocent implies someone has not had the opportunity for knowledge or wariness, or sometimes one for whom such knowledge or wariness is not at all necessary. Mistresses of the ninth gate are said to be innocent as well as enlightened, proving that arriving at the end, one returns to the beginning.**

**The selfish and evil nature is a reference not meant to instruct the moral student on the true nature of her ineffable being, but rather the true nature of the Guest who has travelled with her from the beginning of time until the moment she masters the ninth gate. The Guest and the Source coexist within each of us, but being unwary as we are until we undertake otherwise, the voice of the Guest is louder than the gentle and persistent presence of the Source, which represents our true selves. The unwary hear only the Guest, heed only the Guest, and hark only to the Guest. In doing so, the selfish and evil nature of the Guest becomes the selfish and evil nature of the unwary herself, until such time as she puts a stop to it by breaking and mastering the gates that protect the Guest.**

**The Guest is always eager to take back mastery, to rebuild gates once broken and to play host at a table where he is not truly welcome, and so the constantly vigilant refrain of the gate stanzas ‘lose not your way’ is ever a welcome reminder.**

**The final line of the prologue stanza clarifies the purpose of the poetry: ‘the good sorceress breaks these nine’. The goal is to break all nine gates, and indeed master and retain mastery over all nine gates. Naturally, the moral student may be of any gender, and indeed any realm. We understand here that the Gate Poet, while originally speaking to students of the Source, gives guidance to the moral student at large, whoever she or indeed he may be.**

**Much concern in the past has been given over the moral student who strives but fails to break and master all nine gates before the death of the student, but observation has led us to understand that moral progress made in this lifetime will be available to future lifetimes. One need not be concerned about losing ground gained through death. Indeed, the mastery of gates can only be lost through choice.]**

* * *

THE SUMMARY STANZA

 

> _The mistress of the first gate is grounded._
> 
> _The mistress of the second gate is calm._
> 
> _The mistress of the third gate is wise._
> 
> _The mistress of the fourth gate is self-possessed._
> 
> _The mistress of the fifth gate is resolved._
> 
> _The mistress of the sixth gate is unhindered._
> 
> _The mistress of the seventh gate is discerning._
> 
> _The mistress of the eighth gate is fearless._
> 
> _The mistress of the ninth gate is enlightened._

**[Such descriptors will be addressed with the commentary on each gate stanza, as they are but overviews of what portion of enlightenment each can expect upon mastery of her gate. There are some few, of course, who master the gates out of order, for reasons that are never fully understood. They are not to be ridiculed, as mastery over a gate trumps the order in which it occurs. Most moral students will master the gates in the order presented, as that is generally understood to be the order of most difficulty, and the order in which success builds upon success, the previous being necessary and required in order to press on to the more difficult.**

**There is some thought that the summary stanza, if not also the prologue stanza, are not original to the Gate Poet and have been added by some later redactor, perhaps a student of the Gate Poet herself. This theme is further explored in the commentary on the eighth stanza.**

**A word on the repetitive format of the gate stanzas below. The first line always alerts the moral student to the most common manner in which the gate is broken. The second line is a direct order as to how the moral student must begin their work within the gate. The third line discusses the new way of seeing the world that must come about if the gate is to be mastered. The fourth line is always the same admonition: lose not your way, which is a much needed reminder that anyone may become misguided. The fifth line is the description of who or what must be forgiven in order to master the gate. The sixth line is an imperative to master some aspect of reality, which is another way of understanding the nature of the gate.]**

* * *

THE FIRST GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

  

> _The mistress of the first gate is grounded._
> 
> _..._
> 
> _The first gate breaks with tears._
> 
> _Sorceress, give up your striving._
> 
> _See yourself as they who love you,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive yourself;_
> 
> _Master your past._

**[‘The mistress of the first gate is grounded.’ An apt summary of what it means to walk beyond the voices of negativity within one’s self and to know truly one’s own worth as a being of light.**

**Tears are the most normative sign that the first gate is broken and mastery is ready to be attempted. As with all gates, very occasionally the gate will break with some other sign. If this is the case, seek out a mistress of the same gate for guidance; she will confirm your readiness, and may consent to mentor your moral progress. A mentor is always to be preferred in this process, no matter the gate, as it is all too easy to fool one’s self into believing one has done work that one has not, in fact, done.**

**The striving to be relinquished is the internal measure that is set, not by light, but by darkness. It is a goal that can never be met, a measure that can never be taken, and made by a darkness that brings not your best interests to bear. It does not describe one’s best self, but rather a version of the moral student that seems well enough when not under the light of scrutiny.**

**‘Seeing yourself as those who love you’, invites one to treat with kindness and compassion one’s own foibles. It is also an invitation to deep forgiveness, made more bluntly later in the stanza, which can only occur when one has insight enough to realize that wrongdoings and failures to act are but mistakes, rather than grave errors. Mistakes are easy enough to correct, and grave errors are, if mistresses of the ninth are to be believed, not actually real. This stanza is also an invitation to the moral student to understand her own strengths without denials and preferences without excuses.**

**‘Lose not your way’ is an instruction found in each of the nine gate stanzas and is truly worthy of repeating each of the nine times. Many an eager moral student has, indeed, lost her way by being too enamored of her own misdeeds and all too willing to continue plumbing their depths rather than to move on to the work needing to be done. Again, one may lose one’s way at any point within a gate, even after the mastery of it, for surely mastery over any of the first eight will amount to nothing at all if such work is not continued for the rest of one’s life. Mastery is just that, mastery. It does not imply that another ounce of work need not be done ever again, simply that an ounce of work will go much farther than one ever might have imagined it would.**

**Another, more specific understanding of the instruction not to lose one’s way within the first gate is this: one may, indeed, concentrate and even obsess over one’s own pain and suffering until the very end of one’s life. Many have done this in the past. And many, even now, have enough pain and suffering in just this single life time to fill a surfeit of happy past lives. Still, the instruction is clear: if one wishes to move on, one must voluntarily submit to the idea that the pain and suffering of one’s life is not actually the end of one’s life story and that something must come after. What comes after is up to the moral student herself. To be certain, if a moral student wishes to choose her own pain and suffering over moral progress, no one in the nine realms can remove it from her. And if a moral student wishes to choose life and joy over pain and suffering, no one in the nine realms can stop her.**

**The bold instruction to the moral student to forgive herself is bold indeed, and requires some small amount of explanation. Forgiveness, in this sense, and indeed all throughout the gate poem, is perhaps different from the standard usage of the word. It might be better, if more cumbersomely, expressed as this: Know the inappropriateness of the way you used to consider yourself, and let it go. Or perhaps even, know the folly and silliness in the way you once considered yourself, and smile at it fondly, as at a small child making an effort and failing. Indeed, the usage of the word forgive here does not imply one notices a true failing, an actual misdeed, a grievous wrong, and then somehow, though painfully wounded, manages to partially or mostly overlook the pain and the wrong. No, indeed. That would be the exact opposite of what is herein instructed. To forgive oneself is to know that all of what came before is as a mist in a valley, cold and chill perhaps, but quickly burned off by the sun when it returns, and quickly forgotten as if it never occurred. Naturally, the greater the pain and suffering experienced by the moral student, the more difficult it is to imagine that such a thing could ever truly take place. This is why, of course, practice is necessary. True forgiveness leaves no trace afterwards but relief and joy, and that is how the moral student will know its presence.**

**The instruction to the moral student to master her past is the final in the first gate stanza. It is the summary of the work done within the gate and the past here refers only to the past of her present life alone, for indeed much work will need to be done with the lingering pain and suffering of former lives, but not for many gates yet. In the century or more that the moral student has lived, much has had time to occur, and though it may yet seem like but the blink of an eye to her elders, it is absolutely certain that children, too, suffer and suffer deeply at times. The present life past of the moral student must first be addressed before any further work is done, lest the pain and suffering grow so great that it hinders all moral progress entirely.]**

* * *

THE SECOND GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

 

> _The mistress of the second gate is calm._
> 
> _…_
> 
> _The second gate breaks with anger._
> 
> _Sorceress, give up your pain._
> 
> _See through the eyes of the child,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive the mother;_
> 
> _Master suffering._

**[The second gate summary gives the benefits of living a life without the pain of anger with one’s parents.**

**Anger is the normative sign of the breaking of the second gate and may manifest in sudden moments of nearly uncontrollable rage well beyond any connection with battle, violence, or indeed any overt cause at all. As always, if one has some question as to whether or not one has broken the second gate, acquire at once a mentor who has.**

**The second line is the instruction for the moral student to ‘give up your pain’, and here we see the first opportunity for the work of a previous gate to influence the present gate. Specifically, the pain refers to any wounds, intentional or accidental, inflicted by the parents, guardians, or any with authority over the moral student during the time in which she was subject to their care and guidance, which may well extend past the time she masters the gate. This work may seem too similar to the work of the first gate to be properly considered separate, and the moral student could well consider it so without any detriment. Many have found, however, that the ability to be well grounded in one’s own mind without reference to the opinion of others, even the opinion of the Guest, to be invaluable when considering the opinion of one’s parents.**

**The injunction to ‘see through the eyes of the child’, is to look with innocence at the mother, the father, and indeed any who have been given charge and responsibility over the moral student, also including the mistress of the apprentice sorceress. This is to look at them with love and hope, overlooking their inevitable faults and not holding them responsible for one’s own happiness. Indeed, the responsibility for those with charge over the moral student is to fulfill the charge with all due care and compassion, and in the case of parents, love. At some point, sooner or later, the moral student must take responsibility for her own life, its joys, its sorrows, and indeed eventually return to a state much like the innocence of the child, regardless of how well or poorly those with charge of the moral student executed said responsibilities.**

**The fourth line, as ever, stands as a subtle reminder of the dangers of dwelling overlong on the faults, missteps, misdeeds, and wrongdoings of those who have and perhaps still do have charge over the moral student. Here, if anywhere, the moral student may have the most strident desire to dwell in anger and righteousness. Many a sorceress has been led astray, however, pursuing her own justly held righteousness for wrongs committed toward her person. However, the moral student must embrace the following difficult but true axiom, and the second gate is an apt moment to do it: one may be happy, or one may be right; one may not be both.**

**The fifth line’s instruction of forgiveness is not limited to the mother, of course. The mother in this instance stands in for the mother, father, guardian, mistress, master, or indeed anyone with any authority over the moral student. Those in authority have great responsibility to all those under their protection and guidance and mistakes are often made. The ability to forgive those with authority over one is a great power indeed, for when it is accomplished once, it may be done more easily another time. The capacity to forgive those in authority also translates to a greater emotional freedom, for in forgiving others we no longer allow their judgments to dictate our happiness or lack thereof. Further, mastery over the forgiveness of those in authority gives a gift to the forgiven: the links of the chain of their own pain and suffering ease and to some measure disappear, making their own breaking of and mastery over gates an easier and more likely process.**

**A reminder: the hallmarks of forgiveness are relief and joy, and if they are not felt directly upon forgiving, then one is either not actually forgiving, or perhaps not yet finished.**

**The sixth and summary line of the second stanza, points to the insight that suffering is caused by lack of forgiveness of those who have power over the moral student. When such forgiveness becomes even conceivable, the second gate breaks. When such forgiveness is accomplished, it is mastered and with it, suffering itself. Henceforth, significantly less effort will be required to forgive in such circumstances when they appear in other venues, and indeed profound change is more likely to occur between the moral student and those with charge over her, without any other intervention than her mastery of the second gate. This is particularly true when abuses of power are present.]**

* * *

THE THIRD GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

 

> _The mistress of the third gate is wise._
> 
> _..._
> 
> _The third gate breaks with grief._
> 
> _Sorceress, give up war-blood._
> 
> _See through the eyes of the mother,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive the child;_
> 
> _Master the offensive spirit._

**[The summary statement of the third gate is the apt descriptor of she who lives without the desire to attack others in thought, word, or deed.**

**The typical sign of the third gate broken is profound and sudden grief that seems out of place, unprovoked by personal tragedy or the intimate location of violence in the life of the moral student. Rather, such grief might be predicated on viewing a seemingly minor attack of one being from another. In truth, any attack, no matter how minor, is the same as a full-scale assault with murderous intent. Though the moral student may not yet consciously know the truth of it, the breaking of the third gate marks her preparedness to embrace it soon.**

**The injunction of the sorceress to give up war-blood is not, however it may seem, the most difficult of the imperatives offered by the Gate Poet. War-blood, blood-lust, and indeed blood-frenzy are learned traits amongst the children of Yggdrasil, not inherent aspects of our nature, and indeed far more difficult matters lay ahead, and all are attainable, even this. The path toward the light is clear and obvious and it involves refraining from even the desire to attack anyone for any reason.**

**It should be said that giving up war-blood does not mean that a sorceress, if attacked, may not defend herself or those around her. But no pleasure at all should come from it.**

**‘See through the eyes of the mother’, as line three orders the moral student to do, does specifically mean the mother, and not as with the second gate stanza, figures with authority over the moral student. Here the Gate Poet is attempting to convey the love of a mother for her child, a love that forgives, understands, and reconciles before lifting a weapon for retribution. Even the disciplining mother does so with compassion and concern, not only for others, but for the child’s own well-being.**

**‘Lose not your way’, in the third gate stanza has particular applicability here as in the second gate stanza, for the possibility of the moral student in the role of the victim in any given scenario to remain mired and held fast in self-righteousness is high, indeed. And of course, none of the moral student’s arguments in such a case would be wrong at all, but neither will they serve as aid in the mastering of the gate. At some point the moral student must make a choice, difficult though it is, and the choice is clear: she must decide which she adores more; her pain, or her joy. She can keep either one, cherish it, grow it, enshrine it, and have it blossom in her life. Either, but not both.**

**The order to ‘forgive the child’ in the fifth line is a mirrored reference to seeing through the eyes of the mother in the third line. The child here is the child of the mother, the child who needs discipline and has hurt others. This child is, of course, quite frequently not an actual youth, though of course it does still apply to children, but the Gate Poet here refers to the fact that every warrior is the child of a mother. Beyond warriors even, all who attack in thought, word, or deed are in a very real sense, still children, for attack is not wise, and all who act unwisely are yet children. This of course includes every individual who abuses the power they have over others, and similarities may be drawn between the work of the second and third gate in that respect.**

**A reminder: the hallmarks of forgiveness are relief and joy, and if they are not felt directly upon forgiving, then one is either not actually forgiving, or perhaps not yet finished.**

**The sixth line, ‘Master the offensive spirit’ is the perfect summation of the work to be done with the third gate: any attack is offensive and any offense comes from an offensive spirit. Any defense presumes an offense and honors the offensive spirit. Mastery comes from the internal rejection of conflict entirely and utterly.]**

* * *

THE FOURTH GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

 

> _The mistress of the fourth gate is self-possessed._
> 
> _…_
> 
> _The fourth gate breaks with shrieking._
> 
> _Sorceress, refresh your heart._
> 
> _See through the eyes of the lover,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive the impassioned;_
> 
> _Master your will._

**[The summary of the fourth gate stanza describes the moral student as she will be when she has mastered the fourth gate, which some find nearly as esoteric as the ninth. At worst such a view is nothing but a dramatic overstatement, but at best is perhaps an illustration of the struggles the Aesir have in the basic comprehension of the need for the caretaking of one’s own self, which are encapsulated in the work to be done in mastery of this gate.**

**When the moral student has mastered the first four gates, it is said that she has mastery over the Gates of Compassion, which begin and end with the self and tour through authority figures and attacking figures.**

**The first line of the fourth stanza is the normative indication of the breaking of the gate, in this case, shrieking. This is a phœnomenon in which the moral student finds herself filled with the seemingly unprovoked and unbearable urge to shriek, which may overtake her while she is doing the most mundane of tasks. As with many broken gates, the seemingly unprovoked nature of the external sign is important. It is often understood in hindsight, but never in the moment by the moral student herself.**

**‘Sorceress refresh your heart’ is the beginning command of this difficult gate and in it the moral student is obliged to understand first and foremost that her heart is in need of refreshing. We Aesir are not as the river that rushes to the sea without fail, day after day, nor are we like the mountain that stands firm and strong without rest year after year. We must rest, lest we fail. The regular and frequent refreshment of our hearts must be an integral part of lives even at the moral level, for we must understand that we are not the sum of our abilities, or the sum of our mastery, or the sum of our production, or the sum of our organization, or the sum of our leadership. We are somehow more than all of this, and we both deserve and require moments of refreshment.**

**The third line’s injunction to ‘see through the eyes of the lover’ is a fascinating one. The lover, in this scenario, is the only figure who is an equal, an intimate, and an exceedingly compassionate figure. The mother will not do, as she is not an equal. The child will not do for the same reason. Even here, the sister, be she in blood or in bond, will not do as the level of intimacy required is even greater. Only the lover will suffice, and the task at hand is one requiring the most intimate, the most compassionate, and the most immediate awareness. Only the lover sees the minute changes in the moral student as she progresses, and only then if the lover is very, very canny. To see one’s self through such eyes is not only to see, but to act, for the lover cannot stand by while one is in need and fail to act. And so the theme of the caretaking of one’s own self is reinforced when one sees and acts with the eyes of one’s own lover.**

**The warning to ‘lose not your way’ within the fourth gate stanza plays a different, but, of course, similar role as previously. The method of losing one’s way most often enacted while attempting mastery over the fourth gate is to err on the side of hedonistic pleasure, an issue not dealt with until the seventh gate, possibly because if one is used to a life of very little personal pleasure, or pleasure always taken with some measure of guilt or regret, and then one attempts mastery over the fourth gate, the pendulum is likely to swing quite impressively to the other side and the moral student may find herself losing her way briefly, but not overlong, one hopes, in the pleasant newness of completely overwhelming pleasure. Even once mastery is gained, this pendulum is likely to continue swinging for sometime, gradually coming to rest in the moderate center of perfect levels of refreshment and care. This is why, perhaps, we are not too surprised that the mastery over hedonistic pleasure stands three gates hence.**

**The command in line five to ‘forgive the impassioned’ focuses on forgiving those who are still in the throes of over striving and who still equate their own sense of personal worth with the product of their life, whatever that product may be. In short, they to be forgiven are those who have not mastered the fourth gate, know not how to rightly care for themselves and order their years, and who find no fault in their own behavior, but only look askance at the moral student for attempting something different. The task of forgiving such a one is significantly less difficult than the forgiveness opportunities presented thus far, though it may not seem so to the moral student at the time in question.**

**A reminder: the hallmarks of forgiveness are relief and joy, and if they are not felt directly upon forgiving, then one is either not actually forgiving, or perhaps not yet finished.**

**The command summary to the moral student to master her will focuses the attention on the fact that taking proper care of one’s self is a matter of will. Though much over the course of a long life is the matter of will, mastering the fourth gate may prove to be the largest feat of will the moral student must yet overcome. The joy of mastery is, of course, that once it is done, all similar efforts require significantly less energy to accomplish and maintain.]**

* * *

THE FIFTH GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

 

> _The mistress of the fifth gate is resolved._
> 
> _…_
> 
> _The fifth gate breaks with longing._
> 
> _Sorceress, learn your fate._
> 
> _See through the eyes of the prescient,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive the fate of others;_
> 
> _Master the future._

 

**[The summary statement of the fifth gate speaks to the resolute nature of those who have a clear understanding of what it is they must do in this life, and is an apt summary for the mistress of the fifth gate.**

**The traditional sign of this broken gate is an overwhelming sense of longing. Very occasionally this longing is displaced and superimposed onto other subjects and so, seemingly unprovoked and out of place. Most often, however, this longing feels to the moral student directly related to understanding her fate, and so unlike other broken gates, the sign of brokenness is more directly related to the thoughts in the moment. Still, self-awareness of this is not mandatory at the time, and indeed, unlikely.**

**The command of the Gate Poet of the moral student to learn her fate here is a much disputed one. Let the moral student understand that no matter the urging, it is not recommended that a seer be consulted. Results vary in degree of disaster only, in such cases. The Gate Poet had no intention that the fifth gate should drive people mad, and so ‘learn your fate’ clearly means make peace with the gifts and skills and proclivities that the moral student has in actuality in this lifetime and make a reasoned supposition as to their application. As always, the moral student should be prepared to be wrong.**

**The injunction to ‘see through the eyes of the prescient’ is, again, not an invitation to go mad, nor drive others mad, but rather an invitation to see the larger scope of the tapestry with neither appreciation nor depreciation. The prescient look with insight, understanding how one person may affect others whose lives she touches, and they never overlook one based on indications of the outer shell; the small may affect as much as the large, the powerless as much as the powerful, and the prescient know this well.**

**‘Lose not your way’ serves a much needed reminder in the midst of the fifth gate, which can sometimes seem to carry itself with a slow and plodding pace, akin to unmiring a cow. Many a moral student has abandoned the work of the fifth gate out of boredom, for those without a natural affinity for insight will find the fifth gate difficult work, indeed. The moral student should, however, persevere.**

**The forgiveness work to be done in the fifth gate, as outlined in the fifth line, is simply and completely to forgive whatever it is the moral student sees when she uses insight. It is all too easy a trap to fall into for the moral student to wish all fates to be pleasant and easy, but that is not the world in which we live, and indeed fate is interpretive. The more moral progress any student has made, the more positive, if not pleasant, she will find her fate to be. So it is with all people. No individual may dictate the moral progress of another, and no individual may direct the fate of another.**

**A reminder: the hallmarks of forgiveness are relief and joy, and if they are not felt directly upon forgiving, then one is either not actually forgiving, or perhaps not yet finished.**

**Mastery of the future is the apt description of what occurs when the moral student clears her own vision regarding her strengths and weaknesses and begins to understand what threads she embodies in the tapestry of life. While the future may hold surprises for the moral student, and undoubtedly it will, it will no longer hold confusion and the moral student will no longer feel a sense of lack.]**

* * *

THE SIXTH GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

 

> _The mistress of the sixth gate is unhindered._
> 
> …
> 
> _The sixth gate breaks with pain._
> 
> _Sorceress, learn your frame._
> 
> _See through the eyes of the discarnate,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive your body;_
> 
> _Master the present._

**[The summary statement of the work to be done in the sixth gate directly states what the moral student is until she masters it: hindered. The body is a powerful tool in this life, but until one understands that it is a tool, only, one is hindered by it and the body masters the moral student, and not the reverse.**

**The traditional breaking of the sixth gate occurs with pain. Many have argued that at any point in the life of the moral student, any great amount of pain occurring at any time could signify the breaking of the sixth gate, but this is not so. Before significant moral progress, the moral student is not ready to do the work of the sixth gate and so the sixth gate is not broken. However, akin to the breaking of the fifth gate, the breaking of the sixth gate is not seemingly disconnected with the stimulus of life. Recovering from a wound in battle or an unexpected illness, many a moral student ready to do the work of the sixth gate has done so and upon recovery, has discovered for herself the quickest mastery she has yet gained.**

**The command of the moral student to ‘learn your frame’ is the injunction to understand the body not as the true arbiter of reality, upon which any Source student of illusion could discourse at length, but rather as the foremost tool of the moral student in this life.**

**‘See through the eyes of the discarnate’ is for a certain variety of moral student one of the most difficult lines to understand, outside of the ninth gate stanza. The discarnate here to which the Gate Poet refers are those among us who have given up their mortal bodies, yet not taken to themselves any of the avenues available to them that one might normally assume: Valhalla, Hel, or directly to reincarnation. These discarnate, as some moral students are keenly aware, carry deep pain usually associated with the having of a body, and yet they clearly don’t. The lesson within this is to understand the true role of the body, which is indeed, the entire point of the mastery of the sixth gate. Cutting through previous millennia of obscurity on the subject, the body is not the producer of physical pain, nor is physical pain aught but a signal that the moral student should take note of, act upon, then promptly dismiss with, as the fifth line points out, forgiveness.**

**The familiar refrain, ‘lose not your way’ is for the moral student a useful lesson that perhaps at this point ought to be quite familiar, and yet is still essential and cannot be repeated too often. The potential for the moral student to be too fascinated with the discarnate is quite keen in some, and the potential for other types of moral student to be too dismissive of the discarnate experience is all too attractive a path to walk. Moderation is called for. Forget not your purpose, moral student: master the gate. If you dwell over long, enamored of what lies therein, you lose your way and the days lengthen in number in which you are not the hostess at your own board, but rather you ceed the responsibility to the Guest, who will do all manner of ill in your name.**

**The forgiveness line is quite obvious in the work of this gate. It is the body that must be forgiven, and it is the body that must be redefined as tool rather than master. For any moral student that suffers chronic illness, this task may well seem all but impossible. Impossible it is not, however, even for such a student in such a lifetime. Indeed, many a sorceress who struggled with physical illness and weakness throughout her life has found great solace and power in becoming mistress of the sixth gate. Such a moral student may well reach the very end of her patience with her own illness and spontaneously begin the process of disowning it from her own sense of self. Such a moral student cannot fail to gain mastery over this gate.**

**A reminder: the hallmarks of forgiveness are relief and joy, and if they are not felt directly upon forgiving, then one is either not actually forgiving, or perhaps not yet finished.**

**Gaining mastery over the present is not as easy as some make it out to be in this current age for truly, if the previous gates have not been mastered, the present is so filled with past pains and perceived attacks that the present can barely be discerned for the unmitigated clutter that fills it. Still, mastery over the present is an adequate and pointed description of the moral student who uses her body as the tool it is; it is she who can rationally and reasonably respond to every moment of her life using every single sensation available to her senses, accurately translating the language of the body to the work of forgiveness and vigilance that must be a part of the moral student’s progress. Truly, she will be unhindered.]**

* * *

THE SEVENTH GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

 

> _The mistress of the seventh gate is discerning._
> 
> _…_
> 
> _The seventh gate breaks with pleasure._
> 
> _Sorceress, learn your desire._
> 
> _See through the eyes of the craven,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive the powerless;_
> 
> _Master hope._

**[The summary statement of the seventh gate is apt, indeed, though some may rightly wonder that the title ‘discerning’ should be so late in coming in the progress of the moral student. Has not she been learning discernment from the first moment that the first gate has broken? Indeed she has. But as yet the most that could be said of such a one is that she is learning discernment. The mistress of this seventh gate is truly discerning. Such is inevitable when the moral student is able to address even her deepest desires and leave aside those that bring aught but health.**

**The normative breaking of the seventh gate is with pleasure exceeding all previous reception, which in the cases of some moral students, particularly she of Alfheim, is pleasure on an overwhelming scale. The sensation is not sudden or unexpected, as with the breaking of some earlier gates, rather it is the intense seeking of such pleasure, and indeed achieving it. Still, the achievement but whets the appetite. It should be said that pleasure in this reference means not a singular form of pleasure, not specifically sexual pleasure, nor culinary pleasure, nor the distracting pleasures that take so many and varied forms. It is any pleasure at all, or all of them together which marks the breaking of the seventh gate.**

**The injunction of the Gate Poet for the moral student to learn her desire may seem a strange one, given that she is surrounded by desire and pleasure on all sides. Yet, the Gate Poet means more specifically for the moral student to learn what desire is healthy. Healthy desire leads to the strengthening of the moral student as well as the world in which she finds herself. So too, the moral student must learn what and when such desires arise that hinder the moral progress and make the Guest all too comfortable in his stolen abode.**

**The command to ‘see through the eyes of the craven’ is reminiscent of the homely wisdom that the pasture between hides no errors but our own. It is always easier to view the errors of others before we see them in ourselves. And so the Gate Poet encourages the moral student to see truly the errors made by those who follow only their desires as a curative against the moral student following the same path. Watch and see, the Gate Poet seems to say, as the craven choose their desires above their relationships, their civic duty, and even their own joy. Watch as the craven make choices that destroy all they love. Watch, and give up your own craven nature. The judgmentalism inherent in watching another is, of course, balanced by the fifth line.**

**The fourth line, ‘lose not your way’, is a useful reminder particularly after the third line of the seventh gate stanza, as many a moral student has become mired in standing in judgment over those similarly stuck in their own desires. Both the judge and the judged, the moral student should note, are stuck. The moral student should spend as little time as necessary in judgment and do so with as kindly and compassionate an eye as is possible, lest she become the cautionary tale of another.**

**The fifth line, the forgiveness command, is directed here at the powerless, simply another way to view the craven, or those motivated significantly or entirely by their desires. Forgiveness is herein essential, as at every juncture, and it cannot be too often stressed that there is no one, at the end of all things, that the moral student should not be forgiving. The gates are merely the means to ensure that no one is missed.**

**A reminder: the hallmarks of forgiveness are relief and joy, and if they are not felt directly upon forgiving, then one is either not actually forgiving, or perhaps not yet finished.**

**The mistress of the seventh gate has indeed mastered hope, as hope is so often overwhelmed by the passionate desires of the moral student. Only when such desires are discerned from those that do only good can hope play the fullest part as it was meant. Such a hope is not for the comfortable preferences of life, but for the sustaining and deepest joy that is truly attainable by all.]**

* * *

 THE EIGHTH GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

 

> _The mistress of the eighth gate is fearless._
> 
> _…_
> 
> _The eighth gate breaks with confusion._
> 
> _Sorceress, face your regression._
> 
> _See through the eyes of your former selves,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive the infinite;_
> 
> _Master death._

**[The summary line of the eighth gate stanza is much debated, as it is not at all certain that anyone short of a mistress of the ninth gate can truly be said to be without fear. Still, the mistress of the eighth, a much more common sight than a mistress of the ninth, is to all accounts functionally without fear, and so the summary stands. This line, it should be noted, is the primary argument for the redaction of the Gate Poet by another, later editor. Indeed, within the gate poetry itself, aside from the prologue and summary stanzas, there seem to be no such discrepancies, unless one considers the ninth stanza itself. Still, mistresses of the ninth have universally confirmed the truth of the lattermost stanza, and there is no denying that mastering the ninth gate produces a joy with which argument cannot stand.**

**The normative sign of the breaking of the eighth gate is confusion that, like sensations of much earlier gates, seems to have only little provocation and none of it discernable. This is due to the fact that the moral student, when ready to do the work of the eighth gate, is summarily bombarded with memories or purely physical sensations from a former life, and such experiences come with no warning whatsoever. Confusion is the standard and entirely reasonable response.**

**The command of the second line for the moral student to ‘face your regression’, is the explanation of the confusion felt, and the necessary task that follows for the mastery of the eighth gate. The regression into a life once past is fraught with many difficulties, not the least of which being every single individual the moral student has ever met or known in her present life, she has likely had some sort of relationship with in the past which now may haunt her, if there be unresolved points of contention. Also, the involuntary facing of the moment of death can be quite disturbing. All that is revealed to the moral student is ripe for the attentive forgiveness that by now should be quite second nature to her.**

**The injunction in the third line to ‘see through the eyes of your former selves’ is an instruction based on pure necessity. In order that a moral student may no longer suffer the involuntary reminisces of previous lives, previous relationships, previous pain, and the final and often terrifying throes of a previous life, the moral student must, and as briefly as possible, see with compassion whatever situation had once been faced by her. She should not be surprised at opposites as they inevitably occur. Indeed, this life is one of opposites. The moral student should be prepared to deal with the pain from lives of other genders, other races, from being influential as well as impoverished, lives of chronic illness as well as lives of overwhelming health.**

**The familiar refrain of the fourth line, ‘lose not your way’ is as invaluable here as any other place in the gate poetry, as the unwary moral student is apt to be all too fascinated with lives of former years. Let the moral student beware; here as anywhere else there are honeyed and tempting traps and as little time as possible should be spent in mastering the gate. Indeed, each and every moral student that ever was has been wealthy, has been inspired, has been inspiring, has been hopeless, has been loved, has been abandoned, has been murdered, has been a murderer. There is nothing that the moral student has not done, over the lifetimes, save reach enlightenment, and indeed that is her current goal. Dwell not overlong in the examination of lives gone by. Move on quickly, moral student.**

**The injunction to ‘forgive the infinite’ is here a large difference from previous gate stanzas in their fifth line. In other stanzas, the forgiveness was directed to a discrete set of individuals with certain traits. Here the Gate Poet is casting wide the net and imposing nothing short of complete forgiveness as a goal. All must be forgiven, all that can be discerned as separate from the moral student herself, and all that is understood as being one with the moral student. All is good fodder for forgiveness.**

**A reminder: the hallmarks of forgiveness are relief and joy, and if they are not felt directly upon forgiving, then one is either not actually forgiving, or perhaps not yet finished.**

**The final line of the eighth stanza, ‘master death,’ should not seem so difficult now to the moral student who has broken the eighth gate as when she first encountered the Gate Poet upon breaking the first. Here she has encountered countless death, and not of others, but of herself. Over and over she has relieved the last painful moments and fears of quiet and violent death both, each time to come from the encounter knowing that death has yet to have the last word. Death is but one more part of what is and though it marks the end of one life and the readiness to begin again, there is no longer fear. The fearless moral student has looked death in the eye and smiled.]**

* * *

THE NINTH GATE STANZA, WITH SUMMARY

 

> _The mistress of the ninth gate is enlightened._
> 
> _…_
> 
> _The ninth gate breaks with laughter._
> 
> _Sorceress, see through everything,_
> 
> _See nothing at all,_
> 
> _Lose not your way,_
> 
> _Forgive those who cannot see;_
> 
> _Master the dream._

**[The mistress of the ninth gate is enlightened. There is nothing she cannot do. No where she cannot go. Nothing she cannot be. She is all, and all in all. She walks with the Dreamer in Wakefulness and Ecstasy. There is no gate that is barred to her, no knowledge that is denied her. She knows all, sees all, is all.**

**Laughter is the mark of the ninth gate. All becomes clear and in the clarity there is great humor. The last bastions of knowledge melt away and previous questions never asked become vocal as the One realizes the error of the First Question.**

**Previous assumptions melt away and the One cannot help but see through them. Nothing is obscure. Nothing is hidden. Everything is seen, and in everything there is hope, joy, beauty, a glorious echo of the Dreamer Awakened.**

**The One knows with perfect certainty that nothing unreal exists.**

**The One may be tempted to return to Two, but such should be avoided as much as possible, for nothing unreal exists.**

**Forgiveness is the hallmark and the Two must be forgiven so that she may return to One.**

**The One is the Master of the Dream, and the Guest is finally evicted. It is the One who Awakes, Dreamer no longer, and returns to Wholeness and Oneness with the One Who Never Dreamed.]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any student of A Course In Miracles will find the commentary on the Gate Stanzas familiar. It was never my intention to entirely make shit up. Really, I just convert and translate and add aliens. You know. As you do.


	3. Magic for the Untrained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herein lay the seven principles of magic, and the commentary.

* * *

##  Magic for the Untrained 

_ The seven principles of magic _

> What seems to be is not.
> 
> The real cannot be seen.
> 
> The frame is but a tool.
> 
> The essence is never endangered.
> 
> The maid to all knows she is queen.
> 
> The one cannot be divided, but the two must return first.
> 
> The mistress of the ninth gate alone returns to the beginning.

* * *

##  Commentary on Magic for the Untrained

_ The seven lines comprising the poem entitled ‘Magic for the Untrained’, also known as the seven principles of magic is delivered as from a mistress of the ninth imparting wisdom, meaning of course that the more moral progress a student has gained, the more insights are provided by the brief poetry, all the while the beginning student remains utterly bewildered. _

_ If the kindly reader should find herself in such a state, don’t panic. Continue the meditations and open the mind to the possibility that all the reader assumes about life is wrong. If one is able to do this, even in the slightest manner for a single line, than one is capable of great moral progress in this lifetime. _

_ The formal title of this poem, ‘Magic for the Untrained’ and the informal title, ‘The seven principles of magic’ come perhaps from the same time period. The formal title assumes that the beginning student does indeed know nothing about Source and Dream, and further, that all who wish to make moral progress are those with the capacity to craft the Dream. _

_ Mistresses of the ninth tell us that there will be a time when all who wish to craft the Dream may do so, but it is clear that we are not yet upon that epoch. _

_ Of course, before such an epoch dawns, a moral student may present herself without the capacity to craft the Dream, and yet may make significant moral progress in the present lifetime. Such students should not be frowned upon, and should such a non-crafting aspirant present herself, it is to the benefit of all Yggdrasil that she should be taken in by an appropriate mistress. _

_ As concerns authorship, it is possible that the author of the seven principles of magic is the gate poet, or a scribe for the first mistress of the ninth, as is presumed for the poetry comprising the Eleven Masteries. The answer is lost to the annals of time, though mistresses of the ninth from one generation to the next assure us that such questions are ancillary and need not take up our time. They further assure us that the wisdom is exact and when held closely to the heart over the course of time, will soften our understanding until light begins to dawn. _

_ The first line of the short poem, “What seems to be is not.” is a bombastic introduction to Source and Dream, and is a poignant reminder of what all mistresses of the ninth confirm, that we do but live in a dream, and the Source behind the Dream is quite different. What seems to be, in this collective dream of ours, is not what is truly occurring. _

_ The cruel and shortsighted among us have and do continue to use this truth in twisted ways. It is true with all wisdom, that the cruel and shortsighted may misinterpret it in order that their ends may be served, and especially to excuse hurtful behavior. Thus, we must carefully discern in this and all pieces of ancient wisdom the difference between a proper interpretation and an improper interpretation. _

_ Proper interpretations, though they may abound and seem to conflict with one another, share the one essential trait that groups them together as proper, and that is that they do no harm. _

_ Improper interpretations have as many varieties as the proper ones, and yet they all also share an essential trait that defines them, and that is that they sanction harm. _

_ Returning to the interpretation of the first line of the poem in question, the subject matter for ‘what seems to be’ should not be considered limited in anyway. ‘What seems to be’ is all of what seems to be to us. And we are assured that what it seems to be, it is in fact, not. _

_ A question arises as concerns the good and the beautiful of Yggdrasil - is this also not something that seems to be, but is not? Many interpretations may help the beginning student make sense of such a conundrum. Consider the following: _

_ What the beginning student sees as ‘good’ is only a shadow of good, true, but not fully representative, thus it seems to be one order of good but is in fact some different, higher order of good. _

_ What the beginning student sees as ‘good’ is in fact so compromised and tainted by the dream that it is actually fully in the power of the Uninvited Guest and manages to do great harm to self and others, under the guise of ‘good’. As such, it is not what it seems and only carries meaning, and the capacity to harm, or to seem to harm, within the Dream. _

_ A mistress of the ninth has transcended the Dream and is one with Source, and yet still appears in the Dream, and so are they not good, and truly as good as they seem? Are they not, in fact, entirely as they seem? They are quick to assure any and all that even they are not, in Source, what they seem within the Dream. This can be easily demonstrated in any interaction that a student at any level may have with one such as they. The student, who only sees the Dream, can easily find herself frustrated beyond measure in the presence of a mistress of the ninth, and yet, they who see as Source sees, are not frustrated with each other. _

_ The second line, “The real cannot be seen.” supports the statement made in the first line. The Dream is an entirely different kind of reality from the Source. The Source is real, and cannot be seen, observed, or known through the standard ways of knowing within the Dream. Only the Source is real. _

_ The third line, “The frame is but a tool.” refers to the body of the student. Referring to the body as a frame and a tool, and indeed ‘the frame’ and ‘but a tool’ is meant to demote the body in importance.  _

_ Common misconceptions regarding the demotion of the body lead to the justification of ridiculous acts defaming, defacing, and dismembering the body. This is not to be encouraged. A master craftsman is careful of his tools, treats them with respect, mends them when they are in need of it. Yet a master craftsman does not confuse his tools with his ability, nor does he confuse his tools with his creations. A tool is not an end of itself. A tool is a means to an end. _

_ The fourth line, “The essence is never endangered.” refers to the mysterious placement of the student within Source itself. The essence of the student, which remains in Source for the duration of the Dream, is not in danger, regardless of what seems to occur within the Dream. This means that the student has a freedom to disregard troubles, and to trust that a death within the Dream is not a death within Source. Though the student may die within the Dream, she will be reborn in short order, and none of her moral progress will be lost to her in the next life. _

_ This fourth line has been often misinterpreted to excuse all manner of harmful behavior, with the justification that it simply doesn’t matter if one kills another within the Dream, because nothing has been truly harmed within Source. This is not a recommended path. To intend harm within the Dream, and indeed, to render harm from one body to another is to follow the instructions of the Uninvited Guest, and to choose a deeper sleep within the Dream. Such decisions assure many more lifetimes will be lived, for waking can only occur when moral progress has been made, and moral progress cannot be made in a significant fashion while the moral student still desires to harm others, even within the Dream. _

_ The fifth line, “The maid to all knows she is queen.” is a call to true humility, which is to say, a deep knowing of who and what the moral student truly is, without debasement, without aggrandizement. Status and wealth in the Dream have no meaning when it comes to Source, and whether the student is a princess or pauper in the Dream, knowing who she truly is may indeed require the shedding of title and privilege. It is understood that when it comes to the moral training of a student, no allowances should be made in regards the status of the student in the Dream, unless of course farther goals are set. Rare is the student who thinks she can go as far as her capacity could take her, and encouragement is always a useful tool in training. _

_ The sixth line, “The one cannot be divided, but the two must return first.” refers to, in the first phrase, the oneness inherent in Source, while the second phrase refers to the duality inherent in the Dream. The one which cannot be divided is the true nature of the Dreamer, within Source, who exists in a nondualistic reality of peace and oneness. This oneness does not degenerate into duality, as nonduality is the nature of Source. The two who must return refers to the student’s own perceptions of duality within the dualistic Dream. The two who must return first, refers to the student’s own process of making peace in her current lifetime, returning each broken aspect of her life to wholeness, slowly coming to understand that wholeness is the nature of true reality and that brokenness is a concept only comprehensible within the Dream. _

_ The seventh and final line, “The mistress of the ninth gate alone returns to the beginning.” refers to the fact that all people will die and be reborn in a cycle of pain until such time that they become moral students and master the ninth gate. Then, female or male, those with such mastery are awakened even within their last moments in the Dream, and they have exited the cycle of pain. When they die in the Dream for that final time, a happy event indeed, they are born no more, and instead return to Source, which some do call Valhalla, and are one with Oneness once more. _

_ The poem, taken as a whole, is a fair start and a good beginning for moral students, and it is well that persons of all stature and walk of life commit it to memory so that the wisdom contained therein is not bound only to books, but free to be thought and shared and discussed openly in the town square. As such, those with a deeper understanding of the poem should never mock or deride those who are still struggling in the shallow waters, rather they should be as helpful and supportive as may be. And for those who do struggle with even the most basic interpretation and understanding of this, the first of the moral poems, we who have gone before laud you and encourage you even as we joyful await your return home to us. _

_ Do not tarry overlong. _

**Author's Note:**

> Religion and metaphysics can be dicey to discuss, and despite the fact that Loki doesn't consider this a religion, it serves the same function. So saying, I understand if you prefer not to review, and thus, discuss. However, I am interested in what you're thinking right now. 
> 
> I only ask that if you have had a negative reaction to the piece, please be as gentle as you can be in your review. I look forward to what everyone has to say.
> 
> And if you really liked it, sign up on my mailing list to hear word of when I publish the _**original fiction**_ version of this story which is even more awesome and full of win that this very cool rough draft has been. (No really. It got even better, and there are more scenes and less continuity errors.) You can join the mailing list [ here](https://goo.gl/forms/gkKL4qTBzDQo2mz92).
> 
> Thanks for reading, and stay cool!


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